Black Collegians Program Umoja Community

We invite you to join our community! See the link below for the orientations to begin the process for joining Black Collegians via zoom meetings! For more information about the program, please scroll down to learn more!

Dear
Black Collegians Umoja Family! It’s
time to connect again this week! We want to hear from you! As part of the Umoja Community Family, Black Collegians Umoja is part of the Region 4 section of this organization. This includes other Umoja programs at colleges like LA City College, LA Valley College, Cerritos College, LA Southwest College, to name a few. Please see the flyer below that will feature our Black Collegians Counselor Dr. Tyffany Dowd at this event. Please join us for this event on Wednesday, May 20th at 1:00 - 2:00 below and connect with your fellow students!

​​Please make sure to see the email sent on Thursday, April 2nd regarding​ signing up for the text messaging app called REMIND. You have been assigned to one of four "classes" (the classes are called Ujima, Kuumba, Nia and Imani to represent four of the principles of Kwanzaa). Please sign up!

INFORMATION REGARDING PROGRAM SERVICES

Dear Black Collegians Umoja Family,

All SMC student services are closed for the remainder of the semester through June 16, 2020. Our office will unfortunately not be open as all services are now provided remotely.

HOURS OF OPERATION FOR REMAINDER OF SPRING 2020

Counseling Services

Monday - 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Tuesday - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday - 8:00 am - 6:30 pm

Thursday - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Friday - 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

Virtual Office Hours (when staff will be available to respond to emails)

Monday through Thursday - 8:30 am 5:00 pm

Friday - 8:30 am - 1:30 pm​

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BLACK COLLEGIANS SERVICES?

​Beginning Wednesday, March 17, 2020, the Black Collegians Program counseling services and tutoring services will be handled remotely from the college. There will be no in-person services and the office will remain closed until June 16, 2020. I know the following is a lot of information but please read through it to help answer questions that you may have about our services.

​Counseling Services: Beginning this Wednesday, March 18th, all counseling appointments will be by phone. Counselors will call you at the number listed in Corsair Connect. If you are not available at the time the counselor calls, they will leave a message and ask you to contact us to reschedule your appointment. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Be sure to adjust cell Phone settings to allow phone numbers outside of your contacts or "No Caller ID" incoming calls at the time of your phone counseling appointment. Typically the call will show up as "No Caller ID" so it is important that you answer the call. Again, if you are not available to answer your phone at the start time of your appointment, unfortunately the phone appointment will have to be cancelled and we will ask you to reschedule.

Mental Health Services: Dr. Maria Reynoso is now able to meet with students remotely. A Black Collegians academic counselor can do a referral to Dr. Reynoso for you. Please set up a telephone appointment with a Black Collegians counselor (see below for that process).

How to make a counseling appointment: The primary way to contact us now will be through email. If you would like to make an appointment, please email us at Black_Collegians@smc.edu and someone will respond to you. Please make sure to include your ID number and at least a few times that you are available (counseling appointments are booked for 30 minutes). For example, you could send an email stating that your ID number is 123456 (as an example!) and you are available for an 11:00, 11:30 and 12:00 appointment. If needed, you may contact us by phone at 310-434-4232 however that line will not be answered and the voicemail messages will be picked up a couple of times each day. The best mode of communication will be via email at Black_Collegians@smc.edu.

Tutoring services: Also beginning this Wednesday, there will now be Zoom tutoring available (no in-person tutoring will be available) with Math Instructional Assistant, Edwin Cruz and the student tutors that work with him. You will be able to access Zoom with a computer, laptop, or tablet (audio & video capability necessary). You may also access it with a smartphone (iPhone, Android, etc). On either laptop or smartphone, you will need Google Chrome (you can download it for free). If you are using a smartphone, it will make you download the Zoom app (it's also free). Once you get Google Chrome, you can open up the following links during the times posted to join the online math tutoring session. This will be our online version of drop-in tutoring. We will help you on a first come, first served basis.

​Discussion Boards: If you have a specific math question or general question about an idea or a concept, click on the following link to self-enroll and access our math discus​sion board: https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/4NDP48

In the "Discussions" section, you may post math questions. Select '+ Discussion' to add a discussion. Add a title and type the problem or question. You may find it easier to take a picture or screenshot of the problem and post it. Edwin will reply in a timely manner.

​Tutoring Hours: Below are the hours that Edwin and our student tutors are available via zoom.

​​Modes of Communication: We will do our best to keep you updated on various aspects of the program and college community. Please make sure to access us via our SMC email at black_collegians@smc.edu; our website at www.smc.edu/blackcollegians. And we have established a brand-new Black Collegians Canvas Homeroom that you can access by following this link: https://online.smc.edu/enroll/A33PKX. Information will be posted there as well. The Black Collegians Club Officers are still posting and communicating with you via our Instagram page @blackcollegianssmc

Thinking of you: If you need to talk or have concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to us. In these unchartered times, you may feel anxious and concerned over a variety of issues. It is understandable. I want us all to remember to show grace to one another. Help each other as much as possible while making sure that you are practicing safety precautions. Be there for each other emotionally - "social distancing" (the term that is now used to mean staying at a physical distance from others) does not mean that we have to be emotionally distant from one another. In fact, this is the most important time to check-in with each other to make sure that everyone is feeling cared for.

Please have grace for all of us as th​e college is making decisions to the best of the our ability. Decisions may change quickly so we ask for your flexibility as we try to think of the best ways to support you in this process. I do my best to attach a date at the top of this page to let you know the date that information has changed.

Sending love and light your way,

Mrs. Bradford

Program Leader, Black Collegians Program Umoja Community

​Meet your Spring 2020 Officers

​​

About Black Collegians Umoja Community

The Black Collegians Program/Umoja Community at SMC is designed to assist students of African descent in transferring to four-year universities and obtaining their Associate degree. We offer services to help you become academically competitive and to set personal goals. Black Collegians program staff and counselors provide a constant source of encouragement to our students and work with you to ensure that your needs are met.

The Black Collegians Program is a program within the statewide
Umoja Community. As a recognized program within the Umoja Community, we abide by the mission and the educational philosophy of the Community and we share strategies and goals with other Umoja Community programs at the various California Community Colleges statewide.

Our Mission

Umoja, (a Kiswahili word meaning unity) is a community and critical resource dedicated to enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of African American and other students. We believe that when the voices and histories of students are deliberately and intentionally recognized, the opportunity for self-efficacy emerges and a foundation is formed for academic success. Umoja actively serves and promotes student success for all students through a curriculum and pedagogy responsive to the legacy of the African and African American Diasporas.

Why Should You Join Us?

Our program counselors offer academic, career, and personal counseling to help students achieve their academic goals.

On average, Black Collegians Umoja students have statistically higher GPAs than African American students who are not in the program.

BC students persist to the next fall term at a higher rate than African American students who are not in the program.

First-time freshman students and continuing students in the program successfully complete their enrolled courses at a higher rate than students who are not.

How to Join For Fall 2020

The Black Collegians Umoja Community invites you to attend one of our orientationsqualifying you to become a member of the Black Collegians Umoja Community at the start of the summer and fall semesters of 2020. Attending an orientation is the first required step in the enrollment process for our program. These Enrollment Orientations will be conducted via live video on Zoom. So, you will be able to attend orientation via your cell phone or computer no matter where you are. Your first opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity will be next week, (April 14th, 15th and 17th), while SMC is on spring break. During orientation, you will learn about how our academic support program can help you as a student at SMC.UMOJA is the Swahili word meaning UNITY in English . Our program is a community that wants to unify with you and support you to meet all of your educational goals here at SMC.

2.Register for your choice orientation by clicking on the link beneath the orientation date and time. (You will be prompted to complete the registration form with your contact information. )

3.Receive confirmation. Zoom will send you a registration confirmation via email moments after you register. It will include a password, which will be unique to you and will allow you to enter the video conference at the start time.

4.Attend orientation. At the scheduled start time, sign into the zoom meeting by following the link located in your registration email. Please be on time to the orientation.

5.Stay for the entire orientation. Orientations usually run for approximately 1 hour. You’ll fill out our program’s enrollment application during the last 15-20 minutes of the orientation.

Our Requirements

All Black Collegians Program participants need to meet the following criteria
each semester during the academic year:

Meet with a Black Collegians Program counselor at least twice each semester.